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Android Candy: Control-Z for Your Phone!

I never have a Twitter app crash in the middle of a Tweet. That wouldn't
be too terrible to deal with. No, for me, it seems my e-mail application
decides to crash after I've spent 20 minutes thumbing out a reply while
sitting in a crowded airport. If you've ever lost a love letter, term
paper, shopping list or world-class Facebook post, Type Machine is the
perfect app for you.

It costs $1.99 in the Google Play Store, and automatically keeps track
of the last text typed in every native Android application. It has some
great features that satisfy even the most privacy-concerned individuals:

No unnecessary permissions.

Supports a PIN number to lock typing history.

Apps can be blacklisted so no input is recorded.

History is pruned automatically.

Password fields are never recorded.

The best part about Type Machine is that it works automatically in the
background, and you never need to think about it—until you do.

(Screenshot from the Google Play Store)

I'll admit, the thought of installing a keystroke logger on my
own device was a little creepy at first. I've never read the
"this app requires these permissions" screen more carefully
than when installing Type Machine. That said, I've had it only a
couple days, and I've already used it to retrieve a Twitter update
that got lost amid a program crash. If you have a particularly
crash-prone phone, or if you just prefer not to risk the possibility
of a lost e-mail, check out Type Machine in the Google Play store.

Shawn is Associate Editor here at Linux Journal, and has been around Linux since the beginning. He has a passion for open source, and he loves to teach. He also drinks too much coffee, which often shows in his writing. You can contact Shawn via e-mail, ljeditor@linuxjournal.com.